1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bowstring mounted archery peep sight, specifically an improved designed peep aperture with a fiber optic cross hair.
2. Description of Related Art
Bowstring mounted peep sights enable the archer to sight his or her shot viewing through the peep sight open aperture. It is convenient for the archer to sight his forward sight pin within the center of said aperture opening for a more readily consistent and accurate shot. The method and design of bowstring mounted peep sights generally split the center of the bowstring axis allowing the archer to view through the string verse through the blur of the string without such mounted peep sight.
Therefore, early conventional bowstring peep sights where vertically mounted in bowstring axis. This design can be referred in U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,502 (1965) to Opal and U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,771 (1975) to Saunders. These vertical bowstring mounted peep sights became ineffective with today's newer bows varied draw and axial lengths.
Presently the traditional available peep sights are designed to mount on bowstring with varied embodiments, angles and method of attachment to bowstrings to accommodate the more modern traditional compound bowstring draw and axial lengths. These provided a direct improvement from the fore mentioned conventional vertical string mounted peep sights. Traditional bowstring mounted peep sights vary with vertical and horizontal angular string mounting with angular offset peep holes providing improvement for varied draw and axial bow lengths. These varied traditional peeps sights can be referred in U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,733 (1973) to Chesnick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,853 (1977) to Fletcher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,194 (1978) to Topel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,976 (1994) to Saunders and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,921 (2000) to Lawrence. As can be seen, the traditional fore mentioned peep sights made improvement over the conventional peep sight problem with bow draw and axial length angles, however still peep sight aperture viewing remained limited to small peep aperture hole for target and large peep aperture hole for hunting. Small peep sight aperture applications remain subject to visual target loss in medium to low light conditions typical outdoors and hunting in wooded terrain, leaving the hunter only to use a larger peep aperture application for better visual clarity and targeting visibility. The problem presented with the larger peep aperture hole application designs is it now remains a contributing factor to loss of arrow accuracy with the archer failing to center forward sight pin in the center of the larger aperture peep sight hole. However, the larger aperture peep providing improvement towards improved visibility during less than desirable light conditions, it remains a counter productive solution having to substitute the accuracy provided of the smaller peep aperture for the visibility provided that of the larger peep aperture design. Peep sight designs have generally remain today for target applications; pin hole size peeps, clarifier peeps, peeps with inserts, small to medium peep hole sizes for target and medium to large peep hole sizes for hunting and 3 D shooting.
Thereafter, inventors created several types and designs of peep sights in effort in increase archers shooting accuracy but remained limited to specific peep hole sizes for each general application, that of small peep aperture size for target and large for hunting. With many different type peep sights on the market, some are better for indoor target shooting, others for hunting and 3D outdoors. The type of light available is really the question when deciding on a peep. If used for hunting in dim light situations a larger hole will be needed. For indoor target with good lighting a smaller one will probably be best (usually) the smaller the better for shooting dots or tight arrow groupings.
It is now with the larger aperture hunting peep sights a common problem presents itself with the best of archers having there arrow shot groupings falling apart. This is because they are now posed to a greater challenge, the loss of accuracy provided by a small peep with increased difficulty of consistent centering of the forward sight pin in the (center) of the larger aperture peep hole. This problem is obviously seen more prevalent with the larger aperture 3D and hunting larger styled aperture peep sights. Overall, there are few singular peep sight designs and available on the market to accommodate the need of both visibility and accuracy, but not without required changes and or adjustments of peep aperture diameter size. These few peep sights today all have required change of peep aperture size within its embodiment or with added interchangeable attachments. Today various types of adaptable peep sights have seen success within the market and usefulness among both target and hunting archery applications. However creative the designs are today, with peep hole size adaptability for small peep aperture target accuracy and large peep aperture for hunting lighting and vision improvement, each require changing from one to the other by the archer. And still today the larger peep aperture remains to sacrifice the accuracy provided by the smaller peep aperture sight hole most commonly used for target. A most useful improvement from having to change entire peep sight from bowstring having fore mentioned with peep aperture hole size adjustments are SAP Super Peep by Specialty Archery Products and Pick-a-Peep by Fine Line Inc. These two allow peep aperture size changes without removing peep embodiment from bowstring with varied aperture inserts as seen with the SAP Super Peep or slide adjustment within embodiment as seen with Pick-a-Peep.
However with this invention, peep aperture size changing or adjustments will not be required. With this invention, Fiber Optic Peep Sight provides the accuracy provided by that of a small peep aperture within a large peep aperture application with its added cross hair optic cross-pieces. This invention provides a visual, centered small index reference window for forward sight pin centering within its large peep aperture providing accuracy that of a smaller peep aperture, visibility of the larger peep aperture with increased accuracy attributed to novelty and method of use.
Several others, U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,603 (1992) by Beutler and U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,800 (2001) by also Beutler both vertically mounted, both effected by bow draw and axis length. However does attempt improved lighting within peep aperture, one by external source and the later by adjustable dial for varied lighting through peep aperture. Both above fail to provide unobstructed viewing subject bow draw and axial lengths as well elements subject to freezing in inclement field weather conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,498 (1991) by Scherz provides a disc horizontally mounted with 3 slot providing two varied angular opposing conical surfaces of which provide a wider aperture peep viewing at full draw correcting problems with fore mentioned peep sights. However, application of dividing bowstring among three slots creates obstruction with bowstring in archers visual targeting through peep sight aperture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,598 (1994) by Hall provides a horizontally mounted peep sight structure with four slots for mounting in bowstring solving bowstring obstruction with featured adaptability peep aperture hole sizes provided by insert discs into embodiment receiving slot. It is these two prior art fore mentioned patents that demonstrates prior art inventor designs attempting to meet the need of both small and large peep aperture applications into a single piece instrument.
This invention does this with added design feature of optical 0.019 inch diameter color optic cross-pieces cross hair thus providing a small like peep index window centered within the large aperture peep sight. The index centering point is viewed in aperture center by the archer as a small see through optical colored pastel window created by the by optic cross-pieces attenuation and proximal blur induced to archer when viewed through at full draw position. Thus, now with this invention a large aperture peep sight overcomes and assists archer by providing a consistent centering reference for forward sight pin aperture centering and target point alignment. Fiber optics are readily available and have been widely use within the sporting industry as can be provided by South Coast Fiber Optics, Inc.
And last would be U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,569 (1999) by Wilson. Vertically mounted bowstring peep sight, with transparent plastic ambient light collecting fiber. Unlike the other prior art, Wilson's invention improvement light collecting fiber ends are utilized against a surface to help contrast the illumination point of forward sight pin against a surface within aperture reference. Problems with this design is the close proximity of archers eye with field of vision subjective to flare or blooming from fiber light collecting ends creating distortion of forward sight pin effecting visual alignment and thus accuracy. Additionally, problems with being vertically mounted as fore mentioned with prior art references.
This invention utilizes the optic cross-piece fibers as a side lit application attenuation verse end lit light collecting application. Nevertheless, all bowstring mounted peep sights heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:                (a) Peep sight aperture hole is too small and field of vision is obstructed and lost during low lighting condition making it insufficient for archery hunting field conditions.        (b) Peep sight aperture hole is large for hunting application however arrow grouping and accuracy is lost with inconsistent forward sight pin centering within large peep aperture.        (c) Peep sight bowstring mounting and peep aperture hole does not properly align with various archers draw and bow axial lengths at full draw and viewing position.        (d) Adjustable peep sight aperture's peep size disc, insert or slide needs changing from one application to the other. Mechanical adjustable parts within embodiment are subject to the weather elements snow and ice with possible parts becoming frozen, dislodged, displaced or lost.        (e) Fiber optic light collecting fiber (ends), cause blooming or flare within close visual eye proximity at full draw thus causing difficulty sighting forward sight pin and target alignment.        